Sermon # 24 - God Gives Many Chances Series

We read in Jonah 3:1, “Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah the second time, saying,” (ESV)

God had called Jonah to accomplish a huge task. Jonah chose to disobey, and undertook a voyage which the Lord disrupted by sending a mighty tempest. As the ship was tossed about in the midst of the turbulent sea, the men on board the ship had to cast Jonah into the sea. The Lord had prepared a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and the fish obedient to God’s command vomited Jonah onto the shore. Now for the second time God’s word came to Jonah. As human beings we may question as to why Jonah should be given a second chance, but God is a gracious God, and He was giving to Jonah another opportunity to fulfill God’s purpose in his life.

So also, God has called each one of us to fulfill a specific purpose in our lives. However, ever so often, like Jonah, we too go far away from the will of God. Think about the umpteen chances that God has given to us in spite of our repeated failures. God never gives up, but is constantly speaking to us, and reaching out to us, so will give heed to His voice, and get back in alignment to His will for our lives. If you are at a place where you feel that you have missed all your chances, this message will most certainly encourage you to not be disheartened.

Moses got a second chance

Moses grew up in the palace of Pharaoh in Egypt. Though Moses was an Israelite, from a very young age he grew up in the splendor and comfort of Pharaoh’s palace. Nonetheless, Moses knew who he really was, and was also certain that God had a major plan to be fulfilled through his life. Moses was also keen to accomplish this purpose that God had for his life at the earliest. It was this thought that spurred Moses to do something which is recorded in the verse below.

Moses works in his own strength

We read in Exodus 2:11-12,“And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he saw an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he smote the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.”(ERV)

Moses had a call on his life, and a specific purpose why God chose him. However, Moses was hasty and thought that he could accomplish God’s purposes with his own strength. It was this attitude that led Moses to do something that God did not approve of, when he tried to work out justice for a fellow Israelite, who was being ill-treated by his Egyptian task-master.

Moses was set aside for forty years

The consequence of this impulsive action is recorded in Exodus 2:15, “When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. So Moses fled from Pharaoh, settled in the land of Midian, and sat down by a well.” (ISV)

Moses’ life transitioned from being a prince to becoming a shepherd, who looked after his father in law’s sheep in the wilderness of Midian. From the luxuries and comfort of a palace, Moses was brought down to live the life of a mediocre shepherd who had to spend countless hours in the wilderness with ordinary sheep.

Some may wonder as to why God did not use Moses while he was a prince in Egypt, but had to take him out for many long years, before sending him back again to Pharaoh to bring deliverance to the Israelites. It is true that the call of God, and His purposes were there for Moses, but Moses had to wait for God’s timing, to fulfill those plans God had.

Even today there are many children of God who have rushed into things, and not waited for God’s timing, thereby losing out on many blessings that God had in store for them. For instance, the government has stipulated an age limit for one to procure a driving license. Oftentimes, many young people are not willing to wait for this, and when they drive vehicles without a valid license they end up having accidents. This causes much trouble for them, their parents, traffic cops, and other people in society as well. The only reason for all these calamities is their unwillingness to wait patiently for the appropriate time. We need to wait for God’s timing, and must do things the way God has determined for us to do.

God gave Moses another chance

It took forty long years for God to restore back to Moses all that he had lost. For that very long time, Moses had to go about the mundane job of tending sheep in the wilderness. God appeared to Moses who was probably feeling lonely, forlorn, rejected and thought he was a failure.